CURRICULUM CHANGES, 1973-1982, AFFECTING THE PROFESSIONAL PREPARATION OF SCHOOL LIBRARY/MEDIA PERSONNEL

Purpose of the Study. This study was conducted to describe what curriculum changes, if any, have been made in programs to prepare students for positions in school library/media centers in the period from 1973-1982.;A second questionnaire was sent to each of one hundred and ninety public schools. These questions were designed to ascertain what type of educational background and specific course work the public school administrators wanted their library/media employees to have.;Response to the questionnaires was good. Seventy percent of the institutions of higher education responded. Ninety-three percent of the public school questionnaires were returned. Catalogs were obtained for 70 percent of the institutions of higher education that were selected for the study.;Findings. (1) Colleges and universities have added nonprint courses to the curriculum since 1973. Sixty percent of the program directors are planning to add new courses. (2) Utilizing courses in other departments was a method that 52 percent of the program directors were planning to use to expand their offerings. (3) There was no identifiable program for school library/media personnel. (4) ALA and non-ALA schools have quite different perceptions regarding the nature and purpose of the ALA accrediting committee. (5) Public School administrators have specific ideas about the academic background and course work they would like their prospective employees to have.;Procedure. Information for the study was obtained from two questionnaires and a catalog study. A questionnaire was sent to each of one hundred and thirty-two program directors in institutions of higher education. This survey was designed to obtain information about present offerings and future plans for the curriculum. Catalogs for the same institutions were studied to determine changes since 1973 and also to corroborate survey findings.;Conclusions. (1) The program directors in the institutions of higher education are planning changes within the next three years. (2) Public School officials rated public relations and search strategies as much more important content areas than the program directors rated them. (3) A need exists for joint programs in Library Science/Educational Technology at the graduate level.